Digital danger: Rohit, Praveen get abusive in the nets

Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar are at the nets, presumably at the Gabba, presumably in Australia, presumably on the current tour. Sharma is heckled by a fan watching the nets, even as a fence seperates the players from spectators.

The fan continues to goad the cricketer, till Sharma loses control and loses his temper, spewing a torrent of invectives in Hindi (WARNING: almost this entire clip, link given below, is unsuitable for children).

In a digital age, it is impossible to know when you’re being captured on audio/video. To make matters worse, the offending clip can be posted onto social media sites in a jiffy, making it available to millions of netizens.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the young stars of Indian cricket. AFP

Celebrities need to keep their cool – even if the cameras are absent. Consider what has happened to Saif Ali Khan at the Taj recently, The Virat Kohli middle finger incident is fresh in our minds.

There’s a lot of damage done to the images of the celebrities when they lose their cool – and to the brands that are endorsed by the celebrities.

Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar, whose brand values are already eroded by the poor performance of the Indian cricket team, will see further erosion thanks to this incident.